This Policy defines the principles and processes by which Penta effectively manages and communicates its research output to scientific and medical communities. It also aims to support Penta researchers in maximising the impact of their research dissemination.
Proper implementation of the Publication Policy, especially in terms of acknowledgements, enables the Penta Foundation to verify which activities generate impact, in which areas (policy, scientific, and social), and to measure that impact.
This Policy applies to any scientific publication resulting from research sponsored, coordinated or funded by Penta. If specific publication policies exist for a Penta-sponsored study or project those policies must be followed.
This includes all work submitted to scientific congresses/conferences (e.g., abstracts, and resulting posters and presentations), peer-reviewed journals (e.g. manuscripts, letters to the editor), or other publications (e.g. books, book chapters, plain language summaries, enhanced publication content).
Penta is committed to maximising the impact of its research by sharing findings timely and openly, enabling scientific progress, and ensuring the widest possible access and reuse of research output, including underlying data sets.
Penta is equally dedicated to upholding ethical standards in research. All research conducted by or on behalf of Penta must adhere to ethical standards, undergo rigorous ethical review, and obtain appropriate approvals.
The safety and well-being of research participants are paramount.
Publications must meet standards of transparency, accuracy, fairness, and balance. They must also comply with all applicable laws, regulations, funder requirements and professional standards appropriate to a country or region, as well as journal and congress guidelines and policies. If those standards are more stringent than those described in this Policy, the more restrictive standard applies.
Penta fosters a research environment that is inclusive and respectful of all individuals. We believe using inclusive language is essential for clear communication and promoting diversity in research.
Penta applies the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) “Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals” to acknowledge the contributions in publications.
ICMJE recommends four criteria for authorship credit, based on scientific and academic standards:
For large, multi-centre studies, the group shall identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the work and meet all authorship criteria.
Penta recommends that Penta ID Network members list their affiliation as “Penta Child Health Research” or “Penta ID Network” in the author list, in addition to any other affiliation, in publications arising from Penta related activities. Penta Foundation’s employees and collaborators must declare their affiliation as “Fondazione Penta ETS”, in addition to any other institutional affiliation, in publications arising from Penta’s activities. If a Penta researcher is affiliated both with Penta and another institution, we recommend including the Penta affiliation whenever possible.
Additionally, we recommend including a staff member of the Fondazione Penta ETS in the author list (provided authorship criteria are met) or in the acknowledgment section of all publications arising from a Penta-sponsored study or project.
Members of Penta’s Governance, e.g. Board, Scientific Steering Committee, Network Engagement Committee and Working Groups members are recommended to include their affiliation to Penta in any publications arising from Penta’s activities and Working Group discussions.
As there may be limits to the number of co-authors on a paper, it may be necessary to utilise individual authorship followed by a group authorship name, which allows all authors to be individually identified through PubMed or other relevant database searches.
Any publications that arise directly from Penta Working Groups (or other Penta governance groups) should include the affiliation “on behalf of the Penta [name of the Group]”.
Individuals who do not qualify for authorship (e.g. who meet fewer than all 4 of the above criteria for authorship) but who have made significant contributions to a publication, are not to be listed as Authors. They should be acknowledged, their contribution specified and informed of such.
All scientific publications arising from Penta research must acknowledge Penta’s role using one of the two statements:
If Penta coordinates or sponsors research funded by another entity, the funder should be acknowledged in accordance with the specific funding agreement.
Publications arising from research that has benefited from the support of Penta staff time must include the relevant Penta staff members in the Acknowledgements section, with a description of their contribution.
Penta is committed to adhering to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) by making its research data and results as widely accessible and reusable as possible. To this end, we encourage Authors to deposit datasets on public databases and publish results on open access journals. This recommendation becomes an obligation when the funder expressly requests it.
Penta Authors are furthermore encouraged to retain sufficient intellectual property rights to comply with the open access requirements. We recommend sharing publications under the latest Creative Commons Attribution International Public License (CC BY) for this purpose. Further information can be found on the Creative Commons website and in the FAQ section.
At Penta, we are committed to inclusive language in research and training. Here are some best practices for researchers and collaborators:
Authors must provide prior notice of any planned publication to Penta at least 30 calendar days before publication, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
To comply with this provision, research collaborators must send a draft manuscript to the Penta Chief People, Communications and Culture Officer (communications@pentafoundation.org) at least 30 calendar days before the planned publication date. The Chief People, Communications and Culture Officer will inform the Senior Leadership Team and any relevant partners involved in the research.
Authors must inform the Chief People, Communications and Culture Officer of any publication made on behalf of Penta. All publications mentioning Penta are archived on the Publications Page on Penta’s website with the publication title and author names displayed.
Before data are shared with any collaborator, the proposed analysis and publication must be approved by the study/trial Steering Committee. Collaborators must agree to acknowledge Penta’s contribution in any related papers or abstracts.
When dissemination of research outputs is a funder requirement, a project/study specific publication policy may be created, in line with the requirements set out in this policy.
Last updated: February 2026